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How to Winterize Spirea

Overview

Spirea is a beautiful and showy shrub that is popular with many home gardeners. Spirea shrubs grow quickly and easily in a variety of soils, as long as they have full sun every day. Gardeners have a choice of many colors and varieties of spirea. Once you establish these shrubs in your landscape, there is little work necessary aside from mulching and pruning these lovely blooming shrubs.

Step 1

Watch the shrub throughout the growing season to notice when it blooms. You must prune the spirea immediately after it blooms to control the size of the shrub. This is because spirea blooms each year on new growth. If you do not shape and prune the shrub right after blooming, you risk cutting away future blossoms.

Step 2

Cut back and shape the shrub by trimming away the branches that just bloomed.

Step 3

Lay a 2-inch layer of mulch around the roots, if you desire, but spirea does not require this. Mulching spirea roots is more advantageous for controlling weeds and conserving soil moisture than winter protection.

Step 4

Leave the mulch around the shrub throughout the year.

Things You'll Need

Spirea

Garden shears

Shredded mulch (bark, leaves, straw)

References

Growing Spirea

USDA Zone Map

Keywords:
spirea, spirea shrubs, many colors and varieties of spirea

About this Author

Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator and regular contributor to "Natural News." She is an accomplished gardener, seamstress, quilter, crocheter, painter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator and she enjoys technical and computer gadgets. Hatter's Internet publications specialize in natural health and she plans to continue her formal education in the health field, focusing on nursing.